How to Apply for a UK Scale-Up Visa?

According to the new initiatives and policies of the UK government, it has launched a new visa called the “Scale-Up Visa 2022“ to attract the best and brightest minds from across the globe to work for the country’s fastest-growing companies.

You may get a Scale-up Worker permit to work for a rapidly expanding UK company (also known as a “scale-up firm”). To sponsor scale-up employees, your UK firm must fulfill particular conditions.

For the most part, the Scale-up Visa is a “fast-track” “immigration option that doesn’t include the trouble, cost, and accountability of acquiring a sponsoring license to ask someone to come to the nation. The Home Office dropped hints about the Scale-up visa in its policy paper earlier this year, saying, “In Spring 2022, we will also launch a new, unsponsored points-based path to attract the best and brightest to the UK, with a particular emphasis on the very skilled workers. 

In this article, we will shed light on the basic requirements and eligibility criteria to apply for this UK Scale Up visa. Also, you can contact the best immigration consultants in Dubai for making the application process easier and less time consuming for you. 

What Do You Know About the UK Scale-Up Visa?

Migrant employees hired by UK sponsors who possess the necessary skills to support the expansion of that Sponsor’s company may be eligible for this visa, a new points-based pathway for such workers. This visa aims to speed the immigration process for people who have a job offer in the United Kingdom and meet the minimum skill requirements from the certified UK scale-up. The UK government has established this mechanism to attract business immigrants and stimulate the economy.

Scale-up employees are authorized to work full-time at any skill level once the first six months of their leave have passed, but the candidate must be working in the position for which they are being sponsored. Like other employment paths, the scale-up employee will be permitted to bring their dependent spouse and children to the United Kingdom. Assuming they fulfill the criteria for settlement, the primary visa holder and their eligible family members may be able to apply for indefinite leave to stay in the UK.

Businesses in the United Kingdom may now take advantage of a new streamlined immigration scheme called the “Scale-up Visa” to hire qualified workers from all over the globe. Scale-up Visas are available to workers who possess the necessary skill sets.

This work permit UK is for workers sponsored by British employers who want to enter the country. They need at least six months of employment for the sponsoring company. After working for the same company for five years, the worker and their family may apply for permanent leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

Are You Eligible to Apply for UK Scale-Up Visa 2022? OCS Will Guide You

This new immigration scheme comes with a few conditions. This page details the requirements for obtaining a UK Scale-up Immigration. The UK work visa can only be obtained by those working in one of the approved professions. To determine whether your work qualifies, ask your employer for the four-digit occupation code associated with your position.

• High Growth Companies

Companies seeking to sponsor foreign nationals for employment must prove that they meet the necessary criteria. To qualify, a firm has to show that it has increased its workforce by 20% and has maintained a stable income stream for the last three years. To qualify, the company must employ ten people starting the three-year term.

The Scale Up Institute estimates that over 36,000 companies meet the criteria for being high-growth. The government is considering relaxing the rules so that more businesses may participate with ambitious expansion plans.

• Qualified Workers

With such a Scale-up Work visa, you may remain in the UK for up to two years. When your visa expires, you must submit an extension application. The United Kingdom has a points-based immigration system, and one of the visas available to foreign nationals is the scale-up visa. This visa scheme is still relatively new, so not all details have been ironed out. But we believe that candidates will be capable of qualifying provided they fulfill the following requirements:

• A promising career opportunity with a rapidly expanding UK business
• A yearly wage of at least £33,000
• Extensive knowledge of, or success in, their chosen area, or the equivalent
• Proficient oral and written English skills
• This working visa will also make it possible for foreign employees and their families to move permanently to the United Kingdom

Highly educated workers will be drawn to qualified companies, such as researchers, scientists, programmers, software developers, R&D specialists, economists, architects, technicians, and financial and investment consultants

Nevertheless, skilled individuals must remain employed with the sponsoring firm for the first six months of residence. They may apply for permanent residence in the UK after working continuously for five years.

What are the Requirements to Become Eligible for UK Scale Up Visa

• Language Criteria

A Sponsored or Unsponsored Application for a Scale-up Visa requires evidence of the applicant’s English proficiency at the B1 level or above on the Common European Frame of Reference for Languages across all four skill sets (reading, writing, speaking, and listening).

Successful applicants for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Scale-up worker must demonstrate that they meet the English requirement by providing evidence that they either:

• Possess citizenship in a country where English is the primary language
• Have proven their English proficiency on a secure test
• Possess a degree from an English-language institution
• Earned a GCSE, A Level, or Scottish Higher in English during their time in academia in the UK; or
• Have previously shown proficiency at the B1 level to get entry clearance or legal status

• Salary Requirements for UK Scale-Up Visa

A salary of £33,000 per year, £10.58 per hour, and the ‘going rate for employment’ are required to qualify for a Scale-up Visa via a Sponsored Application. 

Guaranteed basic gross salary (up to 48 hours per week) is the basis for salary evaluation, not bonus payments or other forms of compensation.

The Agency will provide a list of market prices for Scale-up Visa-eligible profession codes once the route opens. The indicated prices would be centered on a 37.5-hour labor week; rates for different schedules must be adjusted accordingly.

Your work schedule must be considered when determining whether you can make a living at £10.58 an hour.

• Get a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) to Apply

If you want to apply for a Scale-up Visa via a Sponsored Application, you’ll need a Certificate of Sponsorship from an employer willing to pay for your UK work visa while you work there. For your Certification of Sponsorship to be valid, your company must be one of the few approved by the Main Office to sponsor Scale-up Employees.

Scale-up Sponsor status requires proof of annualized growth with at least 20% in either revenue or headcount over the preceding three years. In addition, businesses must have had at least ten workers on staff during the three years.

You cannot apply for a sponsored Scale-up Visa if your Certificates of Sponsors are older than three months.

There are specific data that must be included in your Certificate of Sponsorship:

• Identification information, including full name, employer, and annual pay
• Your Sponsor’s assurance that you’ll be working with them for at least six months
• No more than three months from the date of your application for a Scale-up Worker Visa before your intended start date

A statement from the Home Office or the Sponsor states that the Certification of Sponsorship has not been previously used in an application approved or denied and that the Sponsor has not discontinued it.

•  Provide Reasonable Justifications for Applying to the UK

You’ll need to prove to the Office that you’re being sponsored for a real job before they’ll issue you a Scale-Up Visa 2022. Your application for a Scale-up Visa may be denied if there is evidence that the employment you are being supported for does not occur, is a fraud, or was manufactured primarily to facilitate your visa application.

The UK Government will also want to ensure that you have not agreed to work for a non-sponsoring third party in a permanent or temporary capacity or that you have not agreed to do contract work that entails performing an ongoing regular job or service for a non-sponsoring third party.

• Job Requirement for UK Scale-Up Visa Applicants

Scale-up Visas are only available via Sponsored Applications and only if the position you are being supported meets or exceeds specific requirements for education and experience. 

The Cabinet Office will announce which jobs qualify for the work permit UK option once the process becomes available.

Occupation codes, job families, and titles will all be accounted for. If the position you’re being nominated for is on the approved list, you probably have the necessary degree of education and experience.

However, it is the Sponsor’s responsibility to choose a valid occupation code. The Home Office may deny your request for a Scale-up Visa if they have cause to suspect that your Sponsor did not correctly select an acceptable occupation code.

The Home Office will determine whether your Sponsor correctly identified your desired profession by reviewing evidence such as the Sponsor’s demonstrated need for the position, your credentials and experience, and the Sponsor’s track record of compliance with immigration law.

Go and check: The list of available jobs through UK Scale Up Visa

What is the Duration of a UK Scale Up Visa?

If your Sponsored Application for a Scale-up Visa is approved, you can enter the country and remain there for up to two years.

If your Unsponsored Application for a Scale-up Visa is approved, you will be awarded entrance permission or approval to remain in the country for three years.

How can OCS help?

Any questions or concerns about the new scale-up visa may be answered by our best immigration consultants in Dubai, who specialize in work visas. If you have questions or would like assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Consider whether the new Scale-Up work permit is a good fit for you. We will help you determine whether any better visa choices are available to you in light of your current situation. Also, OCS Verifies whether your company is likely to meet Scale-Up visa requirements or not. Our experts help you in making a Visa Application for Rapid Growth.